Ellison on Rhetoric and Congressional Baseball Shooting: Trump ‘Creates a Culture of Incivility’ That Lets People ‘Go off the Rails’

While discussing rhetoric and the Congressional baseball shooting on Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In,” DNC Deputy Chairman Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) criticized President Trump for creating a “culture of incivility” and suggested the president ought to tell people that problems can’t be solved with guns.

While discussing the Supreme Court’s travel ban ruling and President Trump’s statements about Muslims, Ellison stated, “[T]his last weekend, there were two white supremacist rallies. One was at the White House. The other was at the Lincoln Memorial. I believe that the rhetoric of the president is fueling some of the ugliest, most pernicious elements in our society. He’s green-lighting ugly and hate, and some of these folks are getting aggressive, and we know about what happened in Portland just a few weeks ago. My take is that there is more than simply this ban at stake. It is the culture and climate of our society.”

Anchor Chris Hayes then asked Ellison about people drawing a connection between liberal rhetoric and the Congressional baseball shooting as well and whether “it applies in both directions, or is the president doing something unique?”

Ellison answered, “What I think is that when the president says, punch them in the face, carry them out on a stretcher, he creates a culture of incivility, which sort of lets anybody who’s loosely hinged to reality just sort of go off the rails. So, I think — I actually think –.”

Hayes then cut in to note Trump said those things as a candidate. Ellison acknowledged that and added that Trump “has not really renounced them as — in office, either. So, I do think that — you know, look, I know [House Majority Whip Representative] Steve Scalise (R-LA), and I pray for his family every day, but I will tell you that the head of state ought to counsel civility, ought to tell people that we’re not going to allow problems to be solved with guns and with street violence, and that’s what the president should be doing. That’s not what this president’s doing.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett